Tamping-roller.



No. 654,617. Patenfed july 31,1900.

.4. w. FITZGERALD. i

TAMPING RULLER.

(Applicton led Sept. 20, 1899.)

(No Model.)

fe Y

UNIT A MTATES' j PATENT Erice.

.IOIIN WESTEY FITZGERALD, OF KERN, CALIFORNIA.

TAM PING-ROLLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Lettes raten No. 654,617, dated July s1, 1900.

Application nea september 20,1899." Seriana. 73;,110. (Numan.)

. To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN WESTEY FITZ- GERALD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kern, in the county of Kern and State of California, have invented certain new:1 and useful Improvements in `Tamping-Rollers, of which the following is a specification.

In smoothing and hardening ground or other surfaces for roads, sidewalks, paving, and like purposes it has always been the custom to use heavy smooth-surfaced rollers, which are drawn, pushed,or propelled over the areatobehardened. Suchrollers areeffective more in appearance than in reality.` They produce a smooth surface, but not necessarily a hard one, and this is particularly the case when the surface is composed ofloose dry material lacking in cohesive quality. road, for instance, rolled apparently smooth and hard will when exposed to traffic soon become cut up and rutted in spots Where the material is softer than at other points, although the smooth-surfaced roller has left a superficially hard and. smooth appearance throughout.

I ascribe the inception of my invention to frequent Watching of the effect produced by the passage of great numbers of sheep over a surface of a soft nature. These light footprints repeated in thousands over the same surface will in a comparatively-short time compress aloose surface intoa dense, smooth, and equally-hard surface, which will stand ordinary use and tramo Without breaking. I have accordingly deviseda roller, which I term a tamping-roller, Whose object ,is to act on the surface by an indefinite number of separate impressions, and thus produce an effect similar to that above described.

My roller may be self-propelled by an engine mounted on a frame in which the roller is jonrnaled or `may be moved by horse or human power. I have considered -it unnecessary to show more than the roller itself, because I design it Vto be used-as a substitute for al1 smoothsurfaced rollers for these purposes, andthe construction of such rollers, so far as mounting, supporting, and propelling are concerned, is Well known.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a perspective'of a roller provided with a multitude o f separate tarnping-surfaces. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of part of the same roller enlarged. Fig. 3 is an elevation of a roller with a modified Way of attaching the camping-shoes. Fig. 4 shows a roller with integraltamping-shoes.

A, Fig. l, represents a roller which in this case is supposed to be a solid cylindrical log of Wood of sufficient weight to be effective in compressing the surface. The cylindrical area of this roller is studded with a multitudc of ramping shoes B, which are here shown as headed spikes driven securely into the Wood to an equal depth. The shoes are of small size relatively to the roller, and I prefer to give their contact-surfaces a curve which will be concentric with that of the roller itself, as shown in Fig. 2. Such shoes may be spaced over the `surface in any desired manner; but I prefer to place them in rows and alternating, as shown.V The roller of Figs. l and 2 is Well adapted to country districts, and especially to lumbering countries, Where suitable logs of Wood can be produced and made into rollers. Ihave used such a roller with inserted headed spikes with excellent results.

; In Fig. 3 I have shown a roller A provided With shoes B', which in this case have baseanges b, by which they are bolted to the surface of the roller.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a metal roller A2 having its surface formedvvith integral shoes B2.

I have of course designated only afew of the forms in which my inven tion can be embodied, and I do not desire to limit myself to any or all of such forms, as I Wish to avail myself of such modifications and equivalents as will produce the result I have in View and which fall properly Within the spirit of my invention. In all the forms shown, and in their modifications and equivalents, the roller is `provided With a Working face composed'of separate bearing-surfaces, Whichact separately upon a small area of ground in producing individual compressions, the nal result being secured byindefinite multiplication and repetition of each individual and separate y irp- In testimony whereof I have afxed my sigpressiorl. nature, in presenceof two witnesses, this 5th 'bed my invention, dayofSeptember, 1899.Y

JOHN WESTEY FITZGERALD. Witnesses: arate com- CHAS. J. LINDGREN,

' JAMES CURRAN.

Having thus :fully desem what I claim as new, and desire to secure by 5 Letters Patent, is-

A road-roller provided With sep pression-shoes. 

